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The Lolo National Forest is in the heart of the wildest location
in the lower 48. This area of the Northern Rockies consists of
endless forests, wild rivers and substantial wilderness areas.
You can head out in any direction from the Lolo(or Missoula) and
encounter the best the outdoors has to offer in the lower 48.
We will cover some of those places here.
Flathead National Forest: This huge 2.3 million
acre national forest borders the Lolo National Forest north and
east of the Seeley Lake area which is northeast of Missoula. It
also contains several massive wilderness areas including the Bob
Marshall Wilderness, Great Bear Wilderness and the Mission Mountains
Wilderness. The wild South Fork of the Flathead River flows through
miles upon miles of the wild Bob Marshall complex, making it one
of the true wilderness rivers in the lower 48. Also of note is
the Jewel Basin Hiking area, a special use area east of Bigfork.
This area contains 15,000 acres and 27 lakes. If you don't want
to hike, there are hundreds of miles of road with which to tour
the forest. Also near the Flathead National Forest is spectacular
Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi.
Flathead Lake is 191 square miles, 2,894 feet in elevation with
161 miles of shore. This is a beautiful and awe inspiring lake,
with the Mission Mountains flanking the east side. Polson and
Big Arm are the major communities on the southern shore of Flathead
Lake. Sailing is a popular activity, as well as fishing. This
is a good place for bald eagles. The Flathead is home to numerous
animals such as elk, moose, bighorn, mountain goats, wolves, black
bears, cougar, lynx, grizzly bear and moose. Those interested
in rivers will have much to cheer about in the Flathead River.
This river system is one of the top three wild rivers in the lower
48. The South Fork flows through a huge portion of the Bob Marshall
Wilderness complex. The North Fork of the Flathead borders the
western boundary of Glacier National Park in a relatively low
elevation predator showcase. (406) 758-5200.
Bitterroot National Forest: All of the Montana national
forests are great, and the Bitterroot is no exception. At 1.587
million acres, recreation opportunities are endless. The Bitterroot
contains two massive wilderness areas and some world class rivers
such as the Bitterroot River. The Bitterroot National Forest is
also home to portions of the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness(158,615
acres) and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness(1.3 million acres).
Most of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness is in the Clearwater
National Forest of Idaho, but a large chunk lies west of highway
93 in the Bitterroot National Forest. The Bitterroot River is
a famous trout stream which flows north to the Clark Fork in the
Bitterroot Valley. Numerous spectacular canyons and mountain creeks
roar out of the eastern front of the Bitterroots just west of
the towns of Lolo, Darby and Hamilton. Most of these tight canyons
lead up to backcountry lakes. The forests are mostly old growth
with huge ponderosa pine at the lower elevations. Wildlife in
the forest includes black bear, wolves, bighorn, mountain lion,
elk, deer, moose, cougar and pine marten. Lake Como northwest
of Darby is a very popular and very scenic part of the forest.
(406) 363-7100
Lewis and Clark National Forest: This great
1.8 million acre national forest borders the Lolo National Forest
on the east. The Lewis and Clark National Forest forest provides
sweeping, dramatic views of prairie meeting mountains. There is
very little development. Most of the wildlife present before European
settlement is here, including grizzly bears. There's a very rugged
quality to the landscape. The Scapegoat Wilderness is an incredible
area, well worth the rugged hike to the interior. If you want
to drive a bit farther, get out and around the rocky mountain
front and take highway 200 east of Lincoln to highway 435 just
east of Rogers Pass and explore where the Lewis and Clark National
Forest meets the prairie. This is some outstanding country here.
You can take highway 435 up to Bean Lake which is nice for wildlife
viewing. (406) 791-7700
Fog in the Flathead National Forest.
National Bison Range: An awesome 18,500 acre chunk of land
about an hour north of Missoula via highway 93. If you want to
see a variety of wildlife in a rather short time, this is your
place. We cover the Bison Range on this
page. Wildlife includes bison, numerous raptors, elk,
coyote, pronghorn and bighorn.
Top image note: Looking into the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness area.
This was my first visit to this wilderness and I was really impressed
by the grandeur of it. There were no crowds and the scenery was
wonderful. I'd like to go back someday and spend much more time
there.
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